A MAN who held a former care-worker hostage in a flat for almost a week and repeatedly raped and beat her has been jailed for life.

A Liverpool crown court judge told 26-year-old Glen Cornwall that he had carried out the worst sexual violence he had ever seen.

Between November 18 and November 23 last year, Cornwall would not allow his 19-year-old victim to leave the flat in Toxteth and raped her three times a day during the ordeal.

Prosecutor Brian Cummings told the court Cornwall bound her with electrical cables and a belt, held her head into a bath of scalding water and threatened to throw her whole body into it.

Cornwall also forced her to lie naked inside a wicker ottoman and indecently assaulted her with a metal bar.

His cousin Tim Radford, 19, of Upper Parliament Street, Toxteth, also stopped the victim from leaving the flat and was detained for six months for false imprisonment.

On an earlier occasion, in February last year, Cornwall had kidnapped the same woman and made her go to a crack house in Toxteth.

He picked up discarded hypodermic needles from the floor and threatened to infect her with the HIV virus.

He also punched her in the mouth which needed to be stitched.

Cornwall, of Windsor Street, Toxteth, was convicted of 14 offences, including seven of rape, one of indecent assault and one of false imprisonment. He was also found guilty of kidnap, attempted kidnap, unlawful wounding and assault.

The court heard Cornwall had previous convictions for violence against young women and in February 2002 was jailed for three years after subjecting a 17-year-old ex- girl-friend to a terrifying ordeal during which he held a fake gun to her head.

His barrister Mark Tomassi said Cornwall had developed a problem with anger after discovering his mother was beaten severely by his father.

Jonathan Duffy, representing Radford, said Cornwall dominated him and he became involved in detaining the woman out of fear.

Jailing Cornwall for life, Judge Henry Globe QC Recorder of Liverpool recommended he serves a minimum of 15 years before being eligible for parole.

He also ordered him to sign sex the offenders' register for life..

He told him: "These offences of sexual violence are as bad as I have ever come across. You degraded your victim and it was very courageous of her to give evidence against you.

"I regard you as someone who is highly likely to commit offences of a violent or sexual nature which will result in harm to women."